SDCC 2014 Coverage - IDW Publishing Hasbro Licensed Comics Panel Summary

Va'al wrote:

ANGRY BIRDS TRANSFORMERS BRINGS MAYHEM TO COMICS
The Most Unlikely Crossover Crashlands At IDW!

San Diego, CA (July 25, 2014) – Spinning out of the show-stopping announcement at this year’s Licensing Expo, Rovio Entertainment and Hasbro, Inc. have teamed up to bring together two of the world’s largest and most popular entertainment brands with ANGRY BIRDS TRANSFORMERS! This fall, IDW will bring the mayhem to comics with the brand-new series, ANGRY BIRDS TRANSFORMERS, expanding on the unexpected backgrounds of this explosive crossover!

“Comics offer an ideal medium for telling the stories of these improbable but totally convincing mash-up characters from two enormously popular creations,” said Rovio’s Editor-in-Chief, Comics Jukka Heiskanen. “Blending action with humor and adventure with mishap, they will excite and delight fans of both brands.”

“We are thrilled to be combining the iconic TRANSFORMERS universe with the quirky world of ANGRY BIRDS,” said Michael Kelly, Hasbro’s Director of Global Publishing. “With the upcoming ANGRY BIRDS TRANSFORMERS mobile game, TELEPODS product line from Hasbro powered by retoy, licensed consumer goods and now comics from IDW, we’re able to give fans fun, new stories and characters they can interact with in multiple ways.”

When a DECEPTIHOG raid on the AUTOBIRD ship goes awry, the sought-after ALLSPARK is hurled into the expanses of space, only to find its way onto the shores of Piggie Island, and as its inhabitants will soon find out, the ALLSPARK is much more powerful than any creature could have imagined! Written by Robots in Disguise scribe and IDW Senior Editor John Barber, ANGRY BIRDS TRANSFORMERS is taking the intergalactic epic to a whole new universe!

“It’s been a real blast to pair the action of the endless conflict between AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS with the zany hijinks of the Angry Birds!” said series writer, John Barber. “Seeing how these icons can interact and combine with each other—I think the end result will surprise everybody!”

An all-star flock of TRANSFORMERS artists will be contributing covers for the four-issue series, including Sarah Stone, Guido Guidi, Casey W. Coller, and Livio Ramondelli! Ramondelli will be kicking off the series, providing artwork for a framing sequence of issue #1, focusing on the TRANSFORMERS universe! From there, Marcelo Ferriera (Kung Fu Panda, TMNT New Animated Adventures) will take over on art duties for the series.

This unique series offers comic readers a chance to explore two of the world’s most popular brands in a distinctly original way! Whether you’re reading Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets The Eye, or can’t smash enough Piggies, ANGRY BIRDS TRANSFORMERS welcomes everyone to join this collision of epic proportions!

About Rovio Entertainment
 Ltd.
Rovio Entertainment Ltd, the creator of Angry Birds™, is a global industry-changing entertainment media company headquartered in Finland that creatively combines digital with physical, breaking the boundaries of traditional content delivery. What started as a casual game in 2009 became an international phenomenon within a few months of its release. Today Angry Birds is not only the most downloaded game of all time, it is a worldwide known entertainment brand reaching out into publishing, licensing, animations, books and location based entertainment. Rovio's animated Angry Birds feature film is slated for July, 2016. www.rovio.com

About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of our world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through their deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year.


About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2000AD’s Judge Dredd; The Rocketeer; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; V-Wars from New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry; Ragnarök from Eisner Award-winner Walter Simonson; Winterworld, created by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffino; and Little Nemo from the award-winning duo of Eric Shanower and Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio, and the multiple award-winning Artist's Edition imprint.

IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Warner Brothers are producing a film based on Ashley Wood's Lore; Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film, Kurtzman/Orci are producing a movie based on Locke & Key at Universal.

All Eyes On IDW At Comic-Con International 2014!
New Series, Archival Collections, And Monumental Crossovers Announced

San Diego, CA (July 28, 2014) – The eyes of the world were watching San Diego Comic-Con International 2014 for major announcements and this year IDW Publishing took the stage to reveal an impressive array of projects that are coming soon! Behold, the cure for the post-convention blues is here:

Star Trek / Planet of the Apes
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to “mind-meld” with a sentient ape? Or wanted to see a Klingon on horseback, brandishing a rifle? Readers will soon have a chance to peek into just such an alternate future, as IDW Publishing partners with BOOM! Studios for the crossover event of the year: Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive. The creative team will be a mix of proven experience and new blood with scripts by beloved Star Trek scribes Scott and David Tipton (Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2) and interior art and covers by the British newcomer Rachael Stott.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Ghostbusters
The crossover of the year comes to IDW when two of the most legendary teams come face-to-face in the new mini-series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ghostbusters! Written by top IDW talent, Tom Waltz, and Erik Burnham, the series will feel right at home with art by Dan Schoening.

Orphan Black
The acclaimed sci-fi series assumes a new identity in the form of a comic-book series from IDW Publishing. This will not be a clone of the show but will feature some all-new stories set in the complex and thrilling world of Orphan Black, which IDW will be working closely with the show’s producers to expand. The full creative teams and series details will be announced soon, with the first comic-book series launching in early 2015.

Garbage Pail Kids
Topps’ Garbage Pail Kids, the 1980s sensation, will have readers squirming with delight this winter as the obscene adolescents star in a brand-new comic-book series from IDW Publishing. With the likes of Adam Bomb, Leaky Lindsay, and New Wave Dave populating the Garbage Pail Kids universe, the delightfully deformed and often downright disgusting Kids are set to make their mark on the world of comics, just in time for their 30th Anniversary in 2015!

Edward Scissorhands
Just in time for Halloween, IDW Publishing and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products are proud to announce the first in a number of new projects together, with the first ever Edward Scissorhands comic book series. The long overdue all-new adventures begin in October, with New York Times best-selling author Kate Leth (Adventure Time) on writing duties and Drew Rausch (Haunted Mansion) lending his delightfully spooky style to the interior art. Rounding out the creative team will be acclaimed Locke & Key artist Gabriel Rodriguez, who will provide a stunning and suitably creepy cover for the debut issue.

Corto Maltese
The complete Corto Maltese will published in English for the first time! EuroComics, a new imprint edited by Dean Mullaney, worked closely with Patrizia Zanotti, Pratt’s long-time collaborator, to present the complete Corto Maltese in a series of twelve quality trade paperbacks in Pratt’s original oversized black and white format. They will also feature new translations from Pratt’s original Italian scripts by Simone Castaldi, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures at Hofstra.

Eric Powell’s The Goon Artist Edition
Special Projects Director, Scott Dunbier revealed the fan-favorite, cult series, The Goon by Eric Powell is next in line to receive the acclaimed Artist’s Edition treatment! Collecting the series “Chinatown,” The Goon Artist’s Edition will pummel its way into comic shops in 2015.

Shadow Show
IDW announced a 5-issue series of comic-book adaptations of the prose anthology Shadow Show, a tribute to the work of the incomparable Ray Bradbury. Shadow Show #1 starts with the haunting and melancholy “By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain,” written by Joe Hill (Locke & Key) and adapted by Jason Ciaramella (The Cape) with art by Charles Paul Wilson III (Wraith) and a gorgeous cover by Locke & Key co-creator Gabriel Rodriquez. Issue 2 will see Neil Gaiman’s “The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury,” brought to life with artist Maria Fröhlich, and artist Eddie Campbell will tackle Audrey Niffenegger’s “Backward In Seville.” Other Shadow Show stories to be included are Harlan Ellison’s “Weariness,” Dave Eggers’ “Who Knocks?” and Alice Hoffman’s “Conjure” with accompanying artists to be announced.

Angry Birds / Transformers
Announced earlier this year, Rovio and Hasbro have teamed up two beloved properties in Angry Birds and The TRANSFORMERS! This fall IDW will bring the mayhem to comics with the brand new series, Angry Birds Transformers, expanding on the unexpected backgrounds of this explosive crossover! Written by The Transformers mastermind, John Barber, with art by Marcelo Ferriera, this crossover will be one for the record books!

Transformers: Combiner Wars
A new Transformers event, Transformers: Combiner Wars will start March 2015 from writers Mairghread Scott and John Barber and artists Sarah Stone and Livio Ramondelli. It’s an arms-race of truly titanic proportions as a long-lost ancient artifact allows the Cybertronians to unite into more powerful, gigantic forms. Will Cybertron—or the galaxy—be able to withstand the onslaught? Find out with a prologue and 5 issues, running in TRANSFORMERS #39-41 and the new TRANSFORMERS: WINDBLADE #1-3, which will be packed in with select TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS toys.

Galaxy Quest
The adventures of the NSEA Protector continue at IDW with an all-new Galaxy Quest series set after the film. Written by Erik Burnham, with art by Nacho Arranz the new series will be available in early 2015!

Dungeons & Dragons
A new Dungeons & Dragons series, Legends of Baldur’s Gate, sets off for adventure this October; led by fan-favorite writer Jim Zub. With art by Max Dunbar and covers by Sarah Stone, this will be a series of legendary proportions!

Lion Forge
IDW announced that it would be joining forces with Lion Forge Comics to bring the hit digital comics line to print, starting later this year!

Comics Experience
Spearheaded by former IDW Editor Andy Schmidt, Comics Experience is the premier destination for aspiring comic creators to learn the in’s and out’s of the trade. Starting later this year, IDW will bring these up-and-coming talents to the forefront of the comics world by bringing them to print!

Joe Frankenstein
Joe Frankenstein is a 2015 action/horror/adventure tale from Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan (co-creators of Batman villain, Bane) telling the story of young Joe Pratt, who discovers upon meeting the monster of his ancestor, that he is the heir to the Frankenstein name. A legacy that may get him killed if the creatures of the night have their way.


About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2000AD’s Judge Dredd; The Rocketeer; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; V-Wars from New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry; Ragnarök from Eisner Award-winner Walter Simonson; Winterworld, created by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffino; and Little Nemo from the award-winning duo of Eric Shanower and Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio, and the multiple award-winning Artist's Edition imprint.

IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Warner Brothers are producing a film based on Ashley Wood's Lore; Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film, Kurtzman/Orci are producing a movie based on Locke & Key at Universal.

Sabrblade wrote:So, the Combiner Wars issues will just be issues of existing series rather than all new story material?

bluecatcinema wrote:A Star Trek/Planet of the Apes crossover? Wild...

Moonshot wrote:I am a bit confused as the regular Transformers ongoing ended at issue 31, then RiD and MTMTE started. But it says Combiner Wars will be in Transformers #39-41. Are RiD and MTMTE ending or is the ongoing starting back up along with Transformers: Windblade, so four comics at once? Or is it going to be in RiD and MTMTE #39-41? Those issue numbers seem to fit.